Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air. This time, we discuss exit watches after receiving a great topic request from one of our favorite listeners. It s a familiar theme we may have touched upon before. Let s see if our collective tastes have changed. For our listeners, watch content starts after eight minutes. This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Exit watches are a touchy subject. Some folks believe in the ultimate watch and the end of collecting. Admittedly, neither of us can picture an end to the hunt. Still, we will play along and discuss the watches that could send us out in style. A big thanks to Richard for the...

Last year, I bought a digital sports watch to keep track of my running and rowing sessions. Since I m very much an amateur athlete, I went with a Coros Pace 3, an entry-level exercise tracker. I got it on a Velcro strap because I heard it helps with adjustability, and honestly, it s very comfortable and secure. Recently, Delugs introduced a very similar strap called the Delcro, and it s available in no fewer than 20 colors. I tried them on a few of my watches and will tell you whether I like them as much as the strap on my sports tracker.On the Delugs website, you can find the development story of the Delcro straps. In it, Ken, the founder of Delugs, admits that the inspiration did indeed co...

Three is the magic number - or so they say. Many a watch enthusiast has boldly claimed that all you will ever need is the minimalist and perhaps mythical three-watch collection. While I do see the logic behind this, I struggle to accept that an arbitrary number should define my collection without at least trying to understand its justification. To answer this, I needed a real deep dive into what inspirational forces motivate enthusiasts to finally surrender and assign numerical endpoints to their watch collections. The solution to this required solitude and a remote, peaceful location to provide a deserving investigation into this most puzzling of questions.Solving this horological conundrum...

At Swedish watch brand Bravur, theyre really into cycling, and that craziness has materialized in plenty of watches with a cycling theme. The new Bravur La Grande Boucle IV is a steel chronograph in the long-running Grand Tour Chronograph collection. This chronograph subtly tries to capture the spirit of the Tour de France, nicknamed La Grande Boucle, French for The Big Loop. The result is a stylish and functional timepiece that pays homage to the biggest bicycle race in the world. But is it an instrumental race watch or a good-looking one you wear on the rest day or while watching cycling?Bravur and I have two things in common - everlasting and unwavering passions for both watches and cycli...

The Citizen Tsuyosa Automatic has quickly become a welcoming canvas for the creativity of the IFL Watches team. For its newest the creation, the brand was inspired by the three wise monkeys and the timeless proverb they depict. In great IFLW tradition, the colorful dial is modified to portray the proverb in a fun way. It makes this Citizen Tsuyosa Wise Guys Concept another colorful limited-edition release that will only further the Stockholm-based brand s success.IFL Watches has been knocking out one great release after another. If you blink, you might miss one or two. As I explained in previous articles, I am a big fan of the abstract dials that the brand creates. The so-called Midnight Sky...

With the summer holidays approaching, it s time to talk about summer watches. Thomas started this series with his three favorite summer watches at three different price points. We are looking for one pick under $1,000, another under $10,000, and an unlimited-budget option. It seems like a fairly straightforward task, but as it turns out, it s not that easy. Still, I managed to create a list of three proper summer watches I would love to wear wherever the Sun shines!We ve made lists like this before, so it shouldn t be that hard, right? Well, the two higher-budget options, in particular, can lead to much internal debate. At those price points, it s easy to go for something rational, but a sum...

The Seiko SKX is one of the most popular entry-level mechanical watches ever. There is a good chance that you, as a Fratello reader, have owned one at some point or still do. In any case, this is true for me. However, the original bracelet of that watch has always been controversial. It is infamously rattly, which people either love or hate. I happen to love it, but what if you dont? Well, Forstner now offers new aftermarket options.I got a chance to go hands-on with the new SKX-specific Forstner Model J and Model O. Now, I will let you figure out what those letters refer to, but I am sure you will know which one is which. Join me for a closer look at these new bracelets.Upgraded specs on th...

I am not usually one to veer towards sterling silver watches nor the more angular cases of 1960s and 70s dress pieces. So this article will feature not one but two new elements in a watch for me to explore. This vintage Longines has a charm that has gradually won me over.While I don t generally gravitate towards dressier designs, when it comes to watches, vintage Longines is something I have long been fascinated with. Unfortunately, in my home country of Australia, there isn t such a large market for vintage Longines watches. But any peak on social media will show you just how impressively vast the Longines back catalog must be.Vintage Longines is a wonderful rabbit holeLongines is a watch ...

Another Sunday morning, another showdown! This week, Thomas and Daan pit two popular dive watches against each other. Thomas fights for the Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400, while Daan defends the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Date. These two watches are similar in price, function, and concept but are worlds apart in style and execution. Lets dive in!These watches share a 300m water resistance rating, ceramic bezel insert, date at 6 o clock, and steel bracelet as well as rubber strap options. Even the prices are incredibly close. The Aquis Date Calibre 400 is $3,500, while the Aquaracer Professional 300 Date comes in at $3,750. With all of that similarity, lets see what Thomas and Daan can...

I sat on a stool in a Brooklyn dive bar on a rainy Wednesday evening, sipping a Negroni. Two of my friends were with me as we just had dinner a few hours earlier in a nearby restaurant. We were chatting, enjoying our drinks, and eagerly waiting for someone (who shall remain nameless) to pull up with a special package in his bag. When our friend arrived, we quickly moved to a table, turned our phones into flashlights, and started to examine the pack. It was a handful of prototype watches from a newly formed brand. That was the first time I saw the Tuul Filthy 13.Fast-forward to a month later in Geneva. As fate would have it, I was at another bar, the famous (or infamous) Grand Duke, with one ...

Sometimes, a hands-on experience will turn you from a critic to an enthusiast. I had seen the gray Nodus Raven TrailTrekker in photos and wasn t sure what to expect. This collaborative effort from the American brands Nodus and Raven looks like a watch drawing influences from one we know all too well. But after wearing the watch for two weeks, I can honestly say that the visual resemblance to an industry classic is nothing to worry about. The main worry should be how soon to get your hands on this temporarily unavailable special edition. The Nodus Raven TrailTrekker Clay is an awesome and affordable adventurer s GMT. Let me explain why I think this is such a great watch.Straight out of th...

When I feel my appetite for retro filling up, something catches my eye in a typical fashion. A good degrade dial does that to me, and green is supposedly the color of 2024, right? Combining this with a busier-than-usual Super Compressor-style dial sounds like too much, but the Beaufort Seatrekker might prove me wrong.Ill also be honest about the concept of two crowns. I havent been the strongest ambassador for the twin-crowned cool of the Super Compressor look as Im more of a one-crown purist. But as with every design, good alternatives seem intent on proving me wrong, and this brand has that potential.A solid first impression from BeaufortI had two watches sent to my Arctic office from far ...

Another Friday, another Top 5! This week, we return to highlighting some of the best watches of the first half of 2024. After already having discussed recently released dive watches, it s now time to look at GMTs. With most people getting ready to travel for the summer holidays, this is a timely topic. We have seen quite a few additions to the realm of GMT watches lately, especially at more affordable price points. So let s check out our five favorites of the first half of 2024.As always, a list of five watches is short. But I can say that we are fans of all five watches on this list. The remarkable thing is that the rise of affordable GMTs that started roughly two years ago has continued. N...

It is that time of year again, though you would be hard-pressed to notice when looking out the window here in the Netherlands! In any case, summer is upon us, which means we are back with a new theme for our Fratello Favorites series. I get the honor of kicking off this round by sharing my favorite summer watches.We have been handed one rule in picking our summer favorites. We have to pick one watch under $1,000, one under $10,000, and one with an unlimited budget. I ll also take the liberty of adding a few bonus picks to fill out the gaps in these budget caps for good measure.My take on great summer watchesFratello Favorites articles are, by definition, subjective. Here, however, the defini...

I dare say there wasn t a single French Air Force pilot in the 1950s who could ve foreseen a blue sky with pixelated white clouds in the sub-dials of his Type 20. Airains Tom van Wijlick, however, dared to do something different with one of the most iconic pilots watches of all time by contacting Romaric Andre, the visionary behind seconde/seconde/, for a collaboration. The result is the Airain seconde/seconde/ Type 20 Up in the Air. This twin-register chronograph is a reimagined tool watch with a whimsical style that embodies the spirit of aviation and French heritage.In the 1950s, Airain was one of the original manufacturers of the Type 20 pilots watch alongside Breguet, Dodane, Auricost...

I love to read stories about watch selections that follow a theme. When I spotted Thor s list of unusual rectangular watches last Saturday, I instantly started to put together a list of my own featuring rectangular vintage watches. Well, here we are! Besides two crazy mechanical complications, you will also find classic style and even a quartz watch in today s #TBT feature. Fasten your wristbelts!I have to admit that none of the highlighted watches below have populated my wrist in the last 365 days (at least). Yeah, I have way too many watches. In my defense, though, when I read Thor s article, I didn t need to open the safe to start collecting memories of all the great rectangular pieces I ...

Le Tour de France, Wimbledon, Copa America, and UEFA Euro 2024 are all happening right now. If that s not enough, from July 26th to August 11th, the Summer Olympics will take place in Paris. It s a very intense summer for sports (or winter if you re watching from the Southern Hemisphere). At some of these events, like Le Tour and the Olympics, you ll see prevalent branding from Tissot and Omega, respectively. That s not only because they re event sponsors but also because they re vital partners in charge of timekeeping.In reality, Swiss Timing is behind the timekeeping for both events. It s part of the Swatch Group and thus works in partnership with Longines, Tissot, Omega, and the group s o...

Christopher Ward has developed a distinct style over the past couple of years, but there is still great variety in the different releases. A great example of an aesthetic that differs from the brand s signature style is the new C65 Super Compressor Elite. This watch celebrates the funky Super Compressor divers from the 70s. But while the execution of the design might find its roots in the rich history of dive watches, technologically, this is very much a modern watch. It s time to find out more about this latest addition to the brand s popular line of retro divers.Four years ago, Christopher Ward introduced its first C65 Super Compressor model. As Tomas said back in 2020, it was a treat for...

Hello, and welcome to a sunny and warm episode of Fratello Talks! This week, Nacho, Lex, and Daan discuss summer watches. More specifically, they look at the ways they go about picking their ideal watch for the season. Is there such a thing as a perfect summer watch? If there is, you can follow Daan s method to find it. We also outline some categories, specs, and styles that make a watch ideal for the warm weather, active lifestyles, and water-based activities we often enjoy in the summer. Whether it s a cheap and cheerful watch with which you can enjoy carefree days abroad or an action-ready piece with all the specs to take on sand, surf, and sun, if you follow our advice, you ll have no tr...

This week, exactly one year has passed since the Louis Vuitton Tambour 40mm Automatic appeared in its new braceleted guise. With heavy hitters like the Polo 79 having appeared this year, what are my thoughts on the Louis Vuitton Tambour one year on?There s no escaping from the fact that retro and integrated bracelets are big winners in the infatuation game. They re number one on many people s grail lists and the top style you ll see flaunted on social media. But the tide seems to be turning towards more modern timepieces. With this in mind, the nouveau Tambour has held its own against the competition.What does the new Louis Vuitton Tambour mean for the brand?Besides exemplary pieces of Haut...